DISNEY'S MATHS QUEST WITH ALADDIN

Robin Williams famously fell out with the House of Mouse over the unauthorised use of his name and character to promote their 1992 animated classic, Aladdin (and it wasn't unwarranted either). When the two made good in time for the second straight-to-video sequel, there was a clause in his contract where he would only lend his voice to select educational projects. Maths Quest with Aladdin was one of them. And that title really promises you'll learn some things.

Most of the game, however, plays like a first-person adventure. You first have to escape a dungeon. Using Maths. Then free Jasmine who has been trapped in a jewel. Using Maths. Aladdin needs rescuing next and once again, Maths is the key. You'll put into practice simple equations as well as use your knowledge on shapes, weight and reasoning. In truth, most of the puzzles play as regular logic-based mini-games with only a few resembling something you'll see in a third-year text book.

The environments, which not only include the dungeon but the streets of Agrabah and the mystical tent of a travelling fortune-teller. I found the areas to be quite inviting and made me pine for a fully-fledged Aladdin adventure game, but so far this is the closest out there.

Some of the games are multiplayer. Anyone with an age 

in their double digits will have to really try hard to lose.

The puzzles are mostly very easy, with only a few where you can actually fail. These tend to be two-player mini-games such as that classic lesson time-waster we used to call Squares. You can play any of these without going through the story again using the menu accessed from the top left of the screen. In fact, you don't need to play through the story at all if you don't want to. Everything's unlocked here.

The story, however, is the reason to play through the game. It's not deep or clever and plays like the first draft of one of the more forgettable episodes of the television show. While all of the heroes are here, each with their original actor, the antagonist is a new character; the evil genie Bizarrah. She was imprisoned thousands of years ago by the Wizard Pharaoh Very Ankh-Amman (if you don't get that pun, you will once it's spoken out loud).

Freed from her prison by an errant snake of all things, the masterless genie is now free to cause untold havoc. Except there's another freed genie out in the world. And a good one at that! Not wanting them to scupper her plans, she imprisons them all. Iago and Genie in the Palace Dungeons, Jasmine in a jewel and Aladdin in another dimension. You are an unnamed separate character who blindly follows orders to do some maths.

The fortune-teller's tent holds a lot of games and puzzles (left)

most of which can be found in the Genie's 'Rec Room' at any time (right)

As can be expected from a Disney product, the animation is fantastic. The script is often a little dry and stilted, but the talented cast makes the best of it. Genie is noticeably less anarchic here, with a disappointingly reigned in performance from Robin devoid of his patented off-script tirades that made the movie so memorable. As such, Disneyphiles (and the 6-9 year-olds its aimed at) are perhaps more likely to get the most out of it than the average gamer.

Overall, my impression of Maths Quest is a positive one. This would be the last time the late great Robin Williams would voice the Genie and that alone makes it worthy of anyone's time.

To download the game, follow the link below. This exclusive installer uses PCem running Windows '95. Press Ctrl-Alt-PgDown to toggle fullscreen. Press Ctrl-End or middle mouse button to release the mouse. Manual included. Tested on Windows 10.

IMPORTANT - Remember to shut down the emulated version of Windows before exiting PCem. This could potentially result in errors, lost saves and corrupt data. Close the program only when it is safe to do so.

File Size: 453 Mb.  Install Size: 922 Mb.  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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Disney's Maths Quest with Aladdin is © Disney Interactive
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me

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